for him
by AsDjFgL
Summary: Happy Birthday Percy. Thank you, for being my Hero.
1. Chiron

**Thank you, Percy, for being my Hero.**

 _ **Chiron**_

Chiron could not remember a time when he had been more proud of a hero. Percy Jackson had definitely proven himself as a hero, by finding the lightning bolt, exposing the _real_ thief/thieves, and returning it to the rightful owner, without being incinerated. Alas, he could not show favoritism. Especially with Annabeth around. She would probably scold Chiron. He sighed, and continued to watch Percy spar with Annabeth. He was worried about things to come; the gods had summoned him to Olympus to speak to him about their suspicions. He was worried about Annabeth, too. She did not seem to be taking Luke's, _change of heart_ , let's say, very well. Never mind now, he told himself, worry about how Percy seems to keep reverting to slash at Annabeth's left.

Once again, Percy Jackson had proved himself, albeit by running away from camp to join _another_ camper's quest. Luke was beginning to get quite worrisome. Annabeth seemed to be growing more and more distant. He was thankful to Percy to reinstate him as the Activities Director of camp, of course. Chiron _lived_ to help heroes grow. And telling Percy about his parentage... He was worried that that might change how Percy looked at him. However, Percy as he probably should have known would ever have even thought of that. As for Thalia, well, he hoped her and Percy wouldn't start any civil wars.

Chiron was continually amazed by Percy. By now, he was sure, quite sure, he loved Annabeth. He had, after all, refused to believe that she died. He was, admittedly, a bit amused, when Percy had complained about the fact that, he had taught Thalia how to control the Mist, and _why not him?_ It wasn't nice being appreciated so much and then being shunned aside, sidelined, he said. Well, he hadn't exactly _said_ it, really. Grover told him once, when they were alone, discussing where the Great God Pan might be. Holding up the sky... that was not something any hero could do. Especially with a war waging around them, with their friends and comrades dying. And he had also defeated the Nemean Lion. If Percy kept this up (Chiron hoped he wouldn't, the boy had had enough, but no. It was not possible), he might even complete the twelve Labors of Hercules, and he wasn't even tasked to do them! He regretted the fact that Nico had disappeared, but he felt as though Percy, Annabeth and Grover, were hiding something about him.

The Battle of the Labyrinth. The less said about it the better. Chiron was amused. He could tell Percy was confused. It was really a bit odd, he supposed. He hadn't really expected Annabeth to love Percy. But, then again, he was Percy. The hero had gone to Ogygia and he could have stayed there. He could have escaped all his troubles and stayed there happily for the rest of his life. Yet, he left Calypso to fulfill his destiny. And also, maybe, probably, because of Annabeth.

The final battle had approached. He had seen the way Percy was moved to anger. "What have they _done? What have they done to_ _ **my city**_?" The loss of Beckendorf had hit the camp hard. He was their solid, strong, rock, to lean on. The Battle of Manhattan was... horrific. It was a miracle so many campers made it out alive. If it weren't for Nico, Will Solace, Lord Hades, and of course, Percy Jackson, he doubted that they would have won this war. Destroying Typhon had taken Percy's convincing Poseidon to help his brethren. Chiron was extremely happy for Perseus, when everything was over. The Aphrodite Cabin and the Ares cabin had both claimed Silena as their own, and Chiron was proud. The campers had taken to referring to Percy and Annabeth as "The camp mascots" or something along those lines. Chiron was, worried when the new Oracle had announced _another_ Great Prophecy. Hopefully, his heroes wouldn't have to deal with it for some time. They deserved some peace and quiet.

Percy Jackson had disappeared. This was uncalled for. Annabeth was getting depressed. And there is the matter of the new _roman_ camper, Jason Grace. And to make things more difficult, he seemed to be Thalia Grace's brother _and_ he has no memory. And Piper, the Daughter of Aphrodite, who seemed to harboring a secret. Leo Valdez, the fire maker. Chiron found it hard to believe that Percy might be at his Roman counterpart's camp. Then again, that might be why the gods had been acting so distant. He couldn't believe this was happening to Percy again. After everything that child had been through... _another_ humongous quest? Now he had to authorize the building of a flying warship, with Festus as its figurehead, so that they could march into an enemy camp which probably had much more military power than they did, and hope that they had their hero. Well, what choice did he have? Camp Half-Blood was not doing very well without Percy. He was like the heart and soul of Camp.

Well, apparently Percy _was_ at the Roman camp. And he was happy there. Chiron was half a mind to let him be there, because he was happy, but then he thought of Annabeth and the inevitable war with Gaea. Chiron thought he couldn't take it anymore. He had seen many heroes suffer, and most weren't able to take it. Percy Jackson had suffered more than most, and Chiron wasn't sure how exactly he was taking it. He didn't want to see his favorite demigod suffer more.

Chiron didn't know much of what was going on during the time they quested, but, Annabeth and Percy Iris Messaged them enough for him know that Percy was alive, he was okay, he made new friends, and was made a praetor within the first three weeks of his time there. He couldn't really blame the Romans; Percy was just a natural leader, even if he didn't like being a leader that much. He was of course, notified of the fact that he had fought and defeated two giants. And, then, immediately proceeded to destroy half of the camp. Typical Percy. And then, he had to fall into Tartarus. Chiron and the entire camp were devastated. Chiron could only imagine how the crew of the Argo II was feeling. Annabeth and Percy were the unofficial, but sort of official, leaders of the quest.

Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase had come out of Tartarus. They had _come out,_ but Chiron wasn't sure they had _survived_ it. Nobody had ever really survived it. He had been told that they never left each other's sides afterward. They would start screaming in the middle of the night, calling for each other. Chiron did not want them to continue, he wanted them to come home, drink some nectar, eat some ambrosia, and probably rest for the rest of their lives, but he knew that wasn't possible. They had faced the _arai_ and that in itself was an impossible feat. Percy almost died, if it weren't for Damasen and Bob the Titan. And, they had managed to close the Doors of Death.

The battle was over. Immeadiately, Chiron went over to check on Percy and Annabeth. They were just holding on to each other. As though afraid, that if one let go, the other might drift away. And they were crying, undoubtedly about the loss of their friend, Leo Valdez. Chiron did not say a single word. He simply moved behind them and hugged them. They stood there like that for some time, disciples and mentor. And Chiron, despite himself, could not help but feel happy, that his children had survived.

After the war, after the many deaths and losses had become bearable, after the Camps were rebuilt (mostly thanks to Annabeth, although Percy never left her), Chiron went to check on them. Annabeth basically lived in Cabin Three, with Percy. Chiron told the harpies to back off. Everyone sat where they wanted to in the mess hall. The harpies continued to appoint curfew, but they stopped shredding people. The evening Chiron went to visit them, was a peaceful one. Everyone had finished with campfire, and was heading back to their cabins. Most of them were probably already asleep. Suddenly, a scream cut through the air. A terrible, deafening, blood curdling scream. And it was coming from the Poseidon Cabin. Almost in a minute, people had crowded around and were calling through the crowd, "Annabeth? Where's Annabeth?" And then Chiron heard Piper's voice, laced in charmspeak. " _Someone find Annabeth. NOW!"_ Chiron pushed his way through into the cabin. The sight which met him was not appealing to the eyes. A pale, shivering, almost dead looking Percy was sitting up straight on the bed, clutching at his hair, with silent tears streaming down his face endlessly, and muttering to himself, "Dead. She's dead. She's gone. Annabeth's gone. She's gone. She's gone. She's gone." Piper, Jason, Frank, and Hazel were close to him, trying to comfort him. Percy looked crazed, almost insane. Annabeth's voice cut through the crowd, "Move!" and she came inside, didn't even look at anyone, and headed for Percy. She gently extracted his hands from his head, and held him inside her arms. "It's okay, Percy, it's okay. I'm here. We got out. We're alright. Everyone's alright." This continued for a while until Percy calmed down. Then he buried his face into Annabeth's shoulder and sobbed. Once, the camp's source of strength, courage, and hope, Percy Jackson, looked like he needed some hope too. Chiron hoped that they might be able to return the favor. The entire camp watched, as their hero fell apart. And Chiron hoped that they might be able to piece him back together again.


	2. Athena

**A.N: I'm sorry for not updating in so long. Who knew high school could be so stressful, even for a freshman? Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that YES I'M SORRY I KNOW MY WRITING SKILLS HAVE GONE DOWN DRASTICALLY. And also that this story will be updated every year on Percy's birthday. For this chapter, it's Athena! ENJOY!**

* * *

 _thank you, Percy_

 _for being my_

 _Hero_

* * *

Athena never really liked Percy Jackson. First, she still held a grudge against Poseidon. Second, he was too much like his father, reckless, unpredictable, and above all, powerful. The first she heard of him, she was almost ninety percent sure he was the lightning thief. But then, he proved her wrong, something she didn't like. Zeus was positively outraged when Medusa's head came to Olympus as a package. _Reckless_ , she thought. The boy had no regard for his own safety. But, she made no comment of it. She revised her judgement of the demigod, but still stood by her previous assessment. He was dangerous. However, she was amused by his little spat with Ares. That was hilarious. But, if what the demigod said was true… the gods would all have a much worse tragedy to deal with on their hands.

Despite what the demigods think, Athena knows the gods watch their children. They may not be able to show it, but they are always watching. And when she saw Annabeth's vision created by the Siren's, her heart broke. She never thought that possible. Nevertheless, she _was_ watching when the sea spawn saved her daughter. Again, she was forced to revise her judgement of him. Athena had been watching when the boy told Annabeth that the world would probably crash and burn if he were to rule it. _Good_ , she thought. Humility is important in a hero. However, she was beginning to see a pattern. His fatal flaw was starting to show.

Alright, fine. So, maybe Athena _did_ help a child of the sea. In her defense, she was anxious to see Annabeth safe again. And so she helped, he took her advice, they escaped Hoover Dam. She was grateful to the son of Poseidon (she refused to call him by his given name. Hey, even the Goddess of Wisdom can be petty sometimes) later, for saving her daughter. But, the sea spawn still remained very dangerous. And so, she voted for having him destroyed, even if she knew that her daughter Annabeth would not approve. Athena met him again, later. "Do not judge me too harshly." She remembered saying. "You are a big risk to take." To say the least, she was surprised by his answer. Perhaps the boy was smarter than he was given credit for. _"So you're saying you shouldn't take risks?"_ She scoffed when she thought of his answer. He ended up proving her wrong again. Sometimes, risks had to be taken to win.

Athena did inform him of his fatal flaw, though. Intense personal loyalty. Perseus (she had taken to calling him by his full first name now) would let the world burn if he could save a personal friend. She was amused by his reaction. He was outraged, and didn't consider his desire to help those he held dear a flaw at first. Then she told him one of the reasons she considered him so dangerous. Athena told him that the most dangerous flaws are those that are good under the right circumstances, and that as a hero of a prophecy his flaw could cause the downfall of the world. She left Perseus speechless. She could practically hear him thinking 'she's pretty darn smart.' Athena left after that, before telling him that she did not approve of his relationship with her daughter. Oh, come on. Even Goddesses can be overprotective parents occasionally.

Athena found it hard to believe when Hephaestus came to her one day and told her, "That lad doesn't know his own power. It's going to kill him when he finds out." It was almost a known fact to the gods now, that the demigod in question had been sent to Ogygia. After all, Hephaestus had visited, and confirmed it. But Athena found it hard to believe that Perseus did not know his own power, because if he was this much of a threat while not even knowing the full extent of his abilities, then how dangerous would he be when he found the full power of his father's inheritance *****? However, the Goddess did not have time to worry about that. Typhon was coming.

Typhon was a distraction. Of that, Athena was sure. Then, why was she heading out to fight him with the other gods? Did she think the demigods capable enough to hold Olympus? Question, questions, questions. Of course Athena knew the demigods capable enough. They had Perseus Jackson. The demigod of the sea bore the Curse of Achilles. He was going to have to be enough to battle Kronos's forces. _After all_ , Athena thought, _isn't this what they've been doing for millennia? Saving the gods from destruction? We gods act so high and mighty, all aloof, not caring for the puny mortal lives, when in reality; our very existence depends on them._ But still, her children… they were going to fight. Did she trust Perseus Jackson enough to protect them for her? She didn't have her answer just yet, but she helped them nevertheless. Athena told Annabeth about Plan 23, and told the boy to "remember the rivers."

Perseus Jackson was a smart one. Athena had to give him that. He may have been somewhat lacking in the brainiac area, but he had his merits. She certainly hadn't thought of hailing Poseidon for help, although that was probably because she still couldn't get over their rivalry. Still, Percy Jackson had almost single-handedly saved Olympus. He even had the audacity to turn down immortality! (She even voted for him! The nerve some demigods have…)

The fact that he did this for her daughter did not escape Athena. She noticed Annabeth's stricken expression when the offer was made and the pure joy when Percy turned the offer down. Perhaps Athena had been wrong about Percy Jackson. Perhaps he was worthy of Annabeth after all. Still, it didn't stop her from singeing his shirt.

When she found out he disappeared, she flew into a rage, weak as she was from her split-personalities fighting all the time. Athena wasn't angry because she cared for the boy, no. You see, she was angry because on purpose or not, Perseus had hurt Annabeth. The girl was going mad with grief, seizing every opportunity, no matter how slim or weak to find him. And to make it worse, she had a faint idea of what was going on. However, her split-personalities made it hard for her to remember her theory. Every time she tried focusing and coming to the conclusion that Hera must have had something to do with this, her personality shifted, and she would forget everything her brain had been working on. But she knew for sure that Hera had something to do with Perseus's disappearance, considering the arrival of the amnesiac Roman demigod, who was the son of Jupiter, no less, and Hera's own kidnapping.

But for now, she would just deal with her splitting (literally) migraine.

Athena was not proud of herself. But, in her defense, there was no other way to contact Annabeth and give her the information required without traumatizing her. She saw the merits in Hera's plan, as well as its shortcomings but she didn't have time to think of another solution. But she had told Annabeth that "her children would avenge her, destroy the Romans." What would she do if Annabeth chose to believe her words and didn't trust the Romans?

And to make things worse, she had fallen into Tartarus. Athena later admitted to herself that if Percy had not fallen down with her, Annabeth would probably be dead by now. She hadn't been able to help with the quest anymore after that, Athena truly believed now that even death could not be as painful as what she was feeling.

So many things she had told Percy Jackson. Some she regretted, others she didn't. She would be eternally grateful to him though, and so would all the other gods. Despite his recklessness and his fatal flaw, Athena had to commend the boy man for trying so hard, in spite of the chances of failing being great. After the war with the giants, Athena had gone searching for him and Annabeth. She needed to thank him. But when she found the two sitting on the edge of the canoe lake, she was surprised to find him crying, with his head buried in Annabeth's lap.

" _I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"_

He kept repeating it to Annabeth, despite her attempts to console him and let him know it wasn't his fault at all. Athena wondered what he kept apologizing for, until she realized that Perseus had blamed himself.

Blamed himself for everything that happened.

Athena did not understand. It was logically impossible for most of the war to be his fault. But then, she heard him whisper out:

" _I could have done better…"_

Athena immediately turned around, and left a letter in his cabin for him to read later. Hermes was right, she thought. Percy Jackson really might teach them a thing or two. Even though he tried his best, he couldn't save all those close to his heart. Bob, Damasen… Leo. And he genuinely believed that it was his fault.

As she flew back to Olympus, Athena had a small smile on her face.

" **Percy Jackson…"**

She thought.

 _" **He really is something special."**_

* * *

 ***when I say inheritance, I mean his abilities.**

 **Until next year, then. Who knows, I might probably rework this chapter since it's so bad.**


End file.
